Stage 6 · Private ranch above Turquoise Lake
Ranch day: Sugarloaf
Hill climbs, meadows and singletrack on private ranch land no other event can use.
Indicative candidate route, not a final course. Lines follow real public roads, but the final course depends on land-manager permits, the safety plan and the landowner. Distances and climbing are approximate.
The route
Riders roll out of Leadville along Turquoise Lake Road for about 4.6 miles under neutral control. The race itself runs on the private ranch of Sugarloaf Mountain Ranch, about 1,000 acres above the lake. The ranch route is not published and is not drawn on the map.
| Distance | TBD: set with the landowner. Public approach about 4.6 mi |
| Climbing | TBD |
| High point | To be set with the landowner |
| Surface | Ranch two-track, meadow and singletrack. The approach from town is paved Turquoise Lake Road. |
| Start | Leadville, with a neutral roll-out on Turquoise Lake Road |
| Finish | Sugarloaf Mountain Ranch |
| Aid, cutoff, crew and alternates | Race operations for this stage, below |
Map and profile
Terrain view of Turquoise Lake and Sugarloaf Mountain. The ranch route is on private land and is not drawn; the Google link below covers only the public approach from Leadville.
Elevation profile
No profile is published for the ranch stage. The route is on private land and will be set with the landowner.
ProposedPlanned aid
Every location below is a candidate, subject to permits, land-manager approval and the safety plan. The proposed support model is self-supported with neutral aid, fully swept: riders carry what they need between aid points, aid stations are neutral, and a sweep follows the last rider.
| Candidate location | Approx. mile | Services | Crew access |
|---|---|---|---|
| The lodge: start, finish and feed zone (candidate) | Set with the landowner | Water, food, mechanical, medical | Yes |
ProposedCutoff basis
Candidate cutoff at the lodge. The ranch course is compact and sits below the high passes, so riders are never far from shelter. A cutoff, if the format needs one, would be set with the landowner and the safety plan. Times will be set in the course design with the medical plan.
IllustrativeNo illustrative speed is given for this stage: the distance depends on the ranch route, which is set with the landowner.
ProposedCrew access
Candidate crew zones, subject to permits and road access. Some high sections will have no crew access. The table above marks which candidate aid points a crew could reach by ordinary vehicle. See crew and support for how crews would work.
PendingFire and closure note
The ranch sits on Sugarloaf Mountain above Turquoise Lake, next to the 2026 Willow Fire area. The fire started on June 28, 2026, about six miles west of Leadville, and burned about 7,200 acres; the first evacuation order covered the roads and campgrounds around the lake. It forced the 2026 Leadville Trail 100 MTB off Sugarloaf Mountain and Hagerman Pass Road. The ranch is private land, but its approach road and the forest around it follow land-manager orders. Conditions for 2027 are unknown, so this day keeps a public-road alternate away from the burn area.
Sources: VeloNews on the 2026 LT100 MTB reroute, Vail Daily on the Willow Fire, Forest Service closure order, Lake County fire page.
Under considerationBad-weather or closure alternate (candidate)
Mosquito Pass Road hill climb, east of town. If the ranch, its approach or the Turquoise Lake area is closed or smoky, the day would become a timed hill climb from Leadville on Mosquito Pass Road (Lake County Road 3) to a below-treeline finish in Evans Gulch, on the east side of town away from the Willow Fire area. If the air-quality check fails there too, it becomes a rest day. Any alternate is subject to permits, sanctioning and insurance, and the rules for shortening a stage are in the rules and policies.
ProposedGPX
Indicative candidate route, not for race-day navigation. The ranch file covers only the public approach from Leadville.
How it races
This is the change of pace in the week. The ranch terrain allows short, steep climbs and technical ground that public roads do not, so the stage rewards handling and punch over pure endurance.
Because the course is compact, spectators and support crews can see riders several times, and the lodge sits at the center of it. The distance and climbing are deliberately left open until the route is set with the landowner.
The ground
The ranch sits above Turquoise Lake on the flank of Sugarloaf Mountain, with Mount Massive and Mount Elbert, the two highest peaks in Colorado, in view to the south.
The approach follows Turquoise Lake Road, built around the reservoir that Sugar Loaf Dam created in the 1960s as part of the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project.